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. 2018 Nov;39(11):4385-4392.
doi: 10.1002/hbm.24279. Epub 2018 Jul 2.

White matter microstructure in anorexia nervosa

Andrea Phillipou  1   2   3   4   5 , Sean P Carruthers  5   6 , Maria A Di Biase  7   8 , Andrew Zalesky  8 , Larry A Abel  1 , David J Castle  2   4 , Caroline Gurvich  6 , Susan L Rossell  4   5   6
Affiliations

White matter microstructure in anorexia nervosa

Andrea Phillipou et al. Hum Brain Mapp. 2018 Nov.

Abstract

The neurobiological underpinnings of anorexia nervosa (AN) are unclear. White matter deficits have been described in the illness, but findings are inconsistent between studies. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in white matter microstructure in AN using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). It was hypothesised that people with AN, relative to a healthy control (HC) group, would show decreased functional anisotropy (FA) and increased mean diffusivity (MD) in the fornix and superior longitudinal fasciculus, consistent with previous literature. Analyses were conducted on 23 females with AN and 26 age- and gender-matched HCs using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). The results revealed widespread FA decreases and MD increases in the AN group. Our hypothesis was largely supported, although FA differences were not specifically found in the fornix. The findings suggest extensive differences in white matter structure in AN, which may contribute to AN pathophysiology.

Keywords: diffusion; eating disorder; fractional anisotropy; magnetic resonance imaging; neurobiology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Prof. Castle reports grants and personal fees from Eli Lilly, Janssen‐Cilag, Roche, Allergen, Bristol‐Myer Squibb, Pfizer, Lundbeck, AstraZeneca and Hospira; personal fees from Organon, Sanofi‐Aventis, Wyeth and Servier, during the conduct of the study and outside the submitted work. A/Prof Abel reports personal fees from Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Switzerland, outside the submitted work. Dr Phillipou, Mr Carruthers, Dr Di Biase, A/Prof Zalesky, Dr Gurvich and Prof Rossell report no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity values for anorexia nervosa (AN) and healthy control (HC) participants. Bars represent 95% confidence intervals
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Tract‐based spatial statistics (TBSS) results comparing fractional anisotropy, anorexia nervosa < healthy controls. (b) TBSS results comparing mean diffusivity, anorexia nervosa > healthy controls [Color figure can be viewed at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Figure 3
Figure 3
Brainstem region‐of‐interest voxel‐based morphometry (VBM) results comparing (a) fractional anisotropy, anorexia nervosa < healthy controls, and (b) mean diffusivity, anorexia nervosa > healthy controls [Color figure can be viewed at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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